despite

despite — preposition

1. used before a noun or a verb in the -ing form to say that something happens even

1.prepositionB1
Definition

used before a noun or a verb in the -ing form to say that something happens even though something else exists that should make it unlikely or impossible.

Example

Despite the heavy rain, Jude still went for his morning run along the river.

despite + noun phrase introducing a contrast

Jiwoo got the job despite having no previous experience in marketing.

despite + gerund (having)

Common collocations
  • despite the fact that
  • despite everything
  • despite all odds
  • despite the weather
  • despite the challenges
Synonyms
  • in spite of

    equivalent in meaning; slightly less formal and more common in spoken English

  • notwithstanding

    more formal, often used in legal or academic contexts

  • regardless of

    emphasises that the obstacle is deliberately ignored

Antonyms
  • because of

    introduces a reason rather than a contrast

Grammar Patterns

despite + noun phrase

despite + verb-ing

despite + the fact that clause

Usage Note

Frequently followed by a noun, a gerund (-ing form), or 'the fact that' + clause. This is the most common structure in everyday English.

Common Mistakes

Despite of the rain, we went out.
Despite the rain, we went out.
'Despite' is used alone, without 'of'. Do not confuse with 'in spite of', which does use 'of'.

2. used after a verb to show that a person acts without meaning to, or contrary to

2.prepositionB2
Definition

used after a verb to show that a person acts without meaning to, or contrary to his or her own wishes.

Example

Arjun found himself laughing despite himself at the comedian's silly joke.

laughing despite himself — involuntary reaction

Jenna agreed to help despite herself, even though she knew it would mean working past midnight.

Common collocations
  • laugh despite oneself
  • smile despite oneself
  • cry despite oneself
  • agree despite oneself
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

verb + despite + oneself/himself/herself/themselves

Usage Note

Only used in the pattern 'despite + reflexive pronoun' (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves). The verb before it usually describes an emotion or action that happens automatically.

Common Mistakes

Despite himself, he ate the cake.' (no clear verb before 'despite')
He ate the cake despite himself.
The verb must come before 'despite oneself' for this sense.

despite — noun

despite — verb

Word family

  • despiteful
    adjectiveC2
  • despitefully
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: preposition/1

These four expressions all introduce a contrast between an obstacle and an action taken regardless of it. 'Despite' and 'in spite of' are interchangeable in meaning and register, though 'in spite of' is slightly more common in everyday conversation while 'despite' feels marginally more formal. 'Notwithstanding' is markedly formal and often appears in legal, academic, or official documents; it can follow the noun it governs ('the bad weather notwithstanding') as well as precede it. 'Regardless of' focuses on the deliberate act of ignoring the obstacle and is the most versatile for spoken use. Example: 'Despite the cost, they bought the house.' / 'In spite of the cost, they bought the house.' (same meaning) / 'The cost notwithstanding, they bought the house.' (formal) / 'Regardless of the cost, they bought the house.' (emphasises they ignored the cost).

despite ↗in spite of ↗notwithstandingregardless of

Common collocations

Phrases

  • despite all odds
  • despite everything
  • despite oneself
  • in despite of (archaic)

Prepositions

  • despite + noun
  • despite + verb-ing
  • despite + the fact that

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

The word 'despite' entered Middle English from Old French 'despit', meaning 'contempt, scorn'. The Old French word came from Latin 'despectus', which means 'a looking down on', formed from 'despicere' ('to look down') — a combination of 'de-' ('down') and 'specere' ('to look'). The modern prepositional meaning (introducing a contrast) developed from the phrase 'in despite of', literally 'in contempt of', which shifted from expressing scorn to expressing that something happens regardless of an obstacle. By the 17th century, 'despite' was established as a preposition in its own right, while the original noun and verb senses gradually became rare and archaic.